About UIX Names and Namespaces

ADF UIX provides many user interface components, but it is also possible to define and create custom components. Each component must have a unique name. This is achieved by assigning a name and a namespace to the component.

A component name defines the functionality of the component. For example, the name of a button component is "button;" the name of a text component is"text." There can be many button or text components in an application, but all button or text components share the same name because they have the same type or functionality. But a name in itself is not unique. Other developers might define components with similar names.

By pairing a name with a namespace, you ensure that names in a namespace are unique. A namespace is a unique string that is used to divide names into groups, or "spaces," whose members are unique. Namespaces are a standard XML technology. For more detailed information, consult the World Wide Web Consortium web site at http://www.w3.org.

All UIX user interface components use the namespace http://xmlns.oracle.com/uix/ui. The namespace and the name of a component in that namespace together form a unique pairing. For example, a component named image in the UIX components namespace (i.e., http://xmlns.oracle.com/uix/ui) is one such pairing. As such, it can be distinguished from the image component in any other namespace (e.g., http://www.example.org). Thus, developers can define components without worrying about name collisions.